Almirante Cochrane
The Almirante Cochrane was an aircraft carrier that had been converted from the hull of a Chilean Almirante Lorrante-Class Dreadnought. Being built by the British for the Chilean government, when WW1 erupted, her and her sister Almirante Lorrante were conscripted into British service. Interwar Service At the wars end, while the Almirante Lorrante was sold back to Chili, the Almirante Cochrane was retained by the British to be converted into an aircraft carrier. Commissioned as HMS Eagle in 1924, she would serve a short life as a British carrier. When the Washington Treaty started being drafted, the HMS Eagle was sent up for auction in 1926 to make tonnage room for better aircraft carriers. The Chiliean Government, seeing the opportunity to own what they saw as the “Warship of the future” bought her back. With the ''Almirante Lorrante'' as the only other Chili capital ship, the Cochrane was held to high esteem by the Chilean people. The Cochrane would mostly patrol Chilean sea waters in an effort to keep any Argentine ships at bay. She would be refitted once in 1927, and another in 1935 as Argentine Facist’s overthrew the Argentine government. Both times in Britain. In 1935, the refit was relatively substantial, and consisted of reinforcing the flight deck, adding an extra arrestor cable while beefing up the ones already installed, and new elevators. This was all in preparation to replace her ageing completement of Fairey IIID biplanes and Swordfish Torpedo Bombers. In 1940 she was sent to the United States to accept delivery of F4F Wildcats to replace her antiquated Fairey IIID biplanes. She was originally supposed to have SBD Dauntless aircraft to replace her Swordfish, but delays forced her to return before they could be delivered. WW2: The day after Chilie declared war on Argentina, the Cochrane was deployed with the Lorrante on a raid on the Argentine Naval Port of Puerto Belgrano Naval Base. During the raid, the Cochrane’s aircraft would torpedo and sink the Moreno, and Rivadavia. While the Rivadavia would be a complete loss, the Moreno would be raised and repaired in 1942. Notably absent from the attack was the Argentine Castelli battleship, the largest ship in the argentine navy. After the loss of the Lorrante in action against the Castelli in 1942, the Cochrane was sent to hunt down the Castelli. However, the Castelli made it successfully back to port. Not willing to be attacked by land based aircraft, the Cochrane was recalled. In 1943, the American carrier USS Reprisal delivered brand new F6F wildcats, and TBF Avenger aircraft for land based use and use on the Cochrane. The Cochrane was later deployed to support the combined Brazil/Chili/USA invasion of Argentina in 1945, to overthrow the fascist regime. After Argentina surrendered in 1945, the Cochrane was volunteered to the United States to protect the Pacific side of the Panama Canal locks. On November 11, 1948, a Japanese wolfpack of I-400 series submarines sent to destroy the locks would sink the USS Ranger as she transferred to the Pacific. The Cochrane would save 700 men from the USS Ranger. The I-400 submarines were not capable of launching torpedoes against the Cochrane as the slowly sinking hull of the Ranger was between the Submarines and the Cochrane. The USS Ranger sunk in such a matter that, while she rolled over and capsized relatively quickly (within 1 hour of the first torpedo strike), it would take an additional 4 hrs for her to sink, as Cochrane sent her engineering crew to the keel of the Ranger. The I-400 submarines were essentially forced to stay at periscope depth to prevent being detected. This Cochrane crew managed to cut open the keel of the Ranger, and managed to save an additional 50 men. As the Ranger slowly plunged beneath the waves, the admiral of the I-400 wolfpack ordered torpedos to be fired. However, the torpedos would strike the still sinking hull of the Ranger which was still close enough to the surface. With the I-400 submarines reloading torpedos, the Almirante Cochrane managed to get underway, and reach speeds necessary to prefer evasive maneuvers. The Almirante Cochrane managed to make it to the Western Port of Panama, where she docked to offload the American servicemen. However, several hours later, during the subsequent attack by aircraft from the I-400 aircraft managed to torpedo the Cochrane, causing her to keel over and capsize on her side in the actual port.